Mistakes happen when stress is high
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-blog/MY01558
- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Oct. 27, 2010
Mistakes happen when stress is high
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
A recent experience reminded me of the old adage that warns against being complacent and resting on your laurels. Let me explain.
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If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.
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Approximately 18 months ago, leaders from our community started to plan a trip to Europe to develop economic and cultural relationships with a number of European cities. This program would be a "win-win" for everyone. There was tremendous publicity as the program unfolded. Of course, there were myriad details to be ironed out in advance of the meeting, including coordinating calendars, compliance and regulatory issues, travel arrangements, etc.
The evening of our departure, the senior leader of our delegation casually checked his passport. Much to his horror, he saw that it had expired. He was unable to leave the country. The rest of the delegation had to go on without him.
This was a disaster from several perspectives:
- Our leader's insight and vision were important to the success of the program, and would be sorely missed.
- Our European hosts began to question the organizational skills of our leadership.
So, what's the important lesson? A few key ones come to mind:
- Being overloaded, tired and distracted leads to mistakes.
- When you're stressed, it's easy to overlook the details.
- Stress or no stress, the buck stops with you.
What else can be learned from the misadventure of an expired passport?
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